Rugby:Martin Johnson left the door open for Steve Borthwick's return as England captain after refusing to confirm Lewis Moody was his skipper through to the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Borthwick captained England for the first 20 Tests of Johnson’s regime but last month he was dropped from the senior 32-man squad after a knee injury forced him to miss the summer tour of Australia.
Moody took over and became only the second captain, after Johnson in 2003, to lead England to a test match victory over the Wallabies on Australian soil.
But as England launched their 2011 World Cup build-up with a pre-season training camp for both the senior and Saxons squads at Twickenham, Johnson admitted Borthwick had not received the treatment he deserved.
“I will not commit to (Moody being captain until the World Cup),” said Johnson. “It is very competitive. The great thing about this camp is we have got the senior 32, which was a tough call, but also the guys who did not made have all come back.
“There is big pressure on guys. Anyone who thinks they are comfortable in the England 32 won’t be there for very long. Guys are wondering how they are going to get in. It is very competitive and the best squad we have ever had.
“It doesn’t get any tougher (than the conversation I had with Borthwick). You like to think people get what they deserve and he didn’t get what he deserved. We had the conversation and Steve instantly said: ‘I’ll prove you wrong’. That is exactly what you want.
“He hasn’t whined about it, he hasn’t moaned about it.”
In the space of three tests — Borthwick was also sidelined for the defeat to France in the Six Nations — the Saracens lock has slipped from being England’s captain to outside the top four second-row options.
Gloucester’s Dave Attwood took his chance with some impressive midweek performances on the England tour, while Courtney Lawes and Tom Palmer both excelled in the test victory in Sydney.
But Johnson added: “I said to the guys we are treating the whole group as a squad. It is not Saxons and seniors. If you are playing better than the number one guy then there is never a time when you haven’t found yourself in the England team.
“Steve knows that and he is keen to get cracking.”